Research and Collaboration Put a Tobacco-Free Generation Within Reach

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Giving Compass’ Take:

• The author shares CVS Health’s planning for their tobacco-free campaign in which they garnered data and relied on collaborative efforts and partnerships to significantly add to the cause of reducing tobacco use, especially among young people.

• How can other store chains emulate the efforts of CVS Health to keep reducing this generation’s smoking habits?

It’s been more than three years since our company decided to stop selling tobacco in all our stores, and it remains a source of great pride for CVS Health. Without question, going tobacco-free was a bold decision that would significantly impact our bottom line—our tobacco exit was estimated to reduce annual sales by $2 billion—but it was the right decision for our brand, our business, and the health of all Americans.

The decision came out of a realization that not only was the sale of tobacco products a barrier to the future growth of the company as a trusted health care provider, but also cigarettes—which remain the leading preventable cause of death—had no place in a setting where health care was delivered.

To measure the impact of our decision, we completed a study one year after removing tobacco products from our shelves. We found a 1 percent reduction in cigarette-pack sales across all retailers, in states where CVS Pharmacy had a 15 percent or greater share of the retail pharmacy market, reaffirming previous research that availability directly impacts use.

In 2016, we established Be the First, a five-year initiative to help deliver America’s first tobacco-free generation. It’s a lofty aspiration, and with a $50 million investment through 2020, we knew we had to be smart and deliberate to drive results and make an impact on public health.

We have sought out innovative partnerships, collaborations, and alliances in several areas, including prevention, youth advocacy, and behavior change. Today, our partners include the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society, Truth Initiative, CATCH Global Foundation, and National Urban League. Our goal through this work is to contribute to a 10 percent decline in new youth smokers in the United States by 2020.

Read the full article about tobacco by Eileen Howard Boone at Stanford Social Innovation Review

Giving Compass' Take:
• Mark R. Kramer explains how philanthropy can make an impact on public health through catalytic grants, using the example of Thomas Siebel.
• How can other philanthropists follow this model? What issues are best addressed using this model?
• Find out how Atlantic Philanthropies catalyzed investment capital for lasting impact on healthcare.
Despite spending vast amounts of money and helping to create the world’s largest nonprofit sector, philanthropists have fallen far short of solving America’s most pressing problems. What the nation needs is “catalytic philanthropy”—a new approach that is already being practiced by some of the most innovative donors.
Thomas Siebel does philanthropy differently from other donors. As the founder of the software company Siebel Systems Inc., he is one of a handful of philanthropists who have the resources to devote substantial time and money to charity. His approach and the results he has achieved, however, dramatically distinguish him from most of his peers.
In 2005, while spending time on his Montana ranch, Siebel became concerned about the rampant local use of methamphetamine, or “meth.” Meth is a highly addictive and physically destructive drug, and it is a particularly acute problem in rural America. In 2005, Montana had the fifth worst level of meth abuse among all U.S. states. Half of its inmates were imprisoned for meth-related crimes.
The direct cost to the state was estimated at nearly $300 million per year, and the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater.
Rather than writing a check to a local nonprofit, Siebel took the time to find out why people become addicted to meth. After learning that first-time users were typically teenagers who were unaware of meth’s risks, Siebel created the Meth Project to change teenage perceptions about the drug. He brought together experts and hired a major San Francisco advertising agency to develop a hard-hitting campaign that would reach 80 percent of Montana teens with at least three ads every week.
Read the full article about catalytic philanthropy by Mark R. Kramer at Stanford Social Innovation Review.

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